I had to keep working on the swatch for the snowdrop shawl because I decided to put a triangle of stockinette into the centre. I’m going to take the snowdrops out at the same rate that I put them in on the edges. I had no idea if that would work out, so I decided that I had better play it safe and swatch that part too.

The swatch is looking good all over.

This brings me to two questions for today. ( I actually have way more than two, like why is coffee as expensive as it is? Why isn’t there a line at coffee shops for people who just want a plain old cup of coffee…strictly for survival purposes? Why isn’t cake more nutritious? We can put a man on the moon but we can’t make cake good for you?) Question one: How big do you think this shawl should be? Got a shawl that’s a good width across the shoulders? How big is that? I wonder how big this will be after it’s blocked…(If one of you says “do a swatch” I’m going to kill myself laughing) Maybe I could block the bottom part while it’s on the needles to give me an idea?
Question two: How come I feel like the only person faithful to straight needles? (Except Ken…I know you’re with me buddy) Is there no one left who loves them as I do? I see the advantage for big stuff where using a circular lets you fit more stitches on. I’m totally onside with the fair isle thing too. For the purposes of this discussion I’m talking about knitting the back of a sweater, or something flat. What’s with the circular? What’s the huge honking advantage? I’m a fan of straights. I think they are faster, and with lace in particular I feel like the stitches stay “nicer” on the needles when the are not moving from the thicker needle to the skinnier cable and back. (I can hear you….don’t call me that…) I like that I can tell beginners to use two different sizes for knit rows and purl rows to help them sort gauge while they are learning. I like how they look. I like how they feel and I’m not going quietly. Honk if you love straight needles.